


A Gentle Push

by Mari_Writes



Series: BokuAka Week 2020 [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi is the new barista, Alternate Universe - Bakery, Bakery and Coffee Shop, BokuAka Week, BokuAka Week 2020, Bokuto's mother owns a bakery, Family Dynamics, Fluff, I think you know where this is going, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Akaashi Keiji, Oblivious Bokuto Koutarou
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25739107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mari_Writes/pseuds/Mari_Writes
Summary: BokuAka Week, Day 5: Bakery AUAmane Bokuto knew her son, Koutarou was completely enamored with the new barista she had just hired at her bakery—and vice versa.She decides to give them a little push.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Series: BokuAka Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1858279
Comments: 33
Kudos: 257
Collections: Bokuaka Week 2020





	A Gentle Push

**Author's Note:**

> Thought I’d mix it up a bit for this prompt and give you guys a unique POV… Bokuto’s mom! Just to avoid confusion, they go by their first names in this.
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed, or share on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mari_writes1/status/1291174959931326464) and [Tumblr](https://mari-writes.tumblr.com/post/625659550546247680/a-gentle-push)! Thank you!

Amane Bokuto loved her son with all her heart.

She loved Koutarou’s kindness. His humor. The fact that even when he was down in the dumps, he always tried to keep a positive outlook in the long run. She loved how he would defend her and his sisters to his last breath, while taking no credit for himself. She even loved his mood swings—his ability to _feel_ so intently about the smallest things.

Koutarou was the light of her life.

But he could really be a _complete idiot_ sometimes.

Amane owned a bakery. It hadn’t been in her family or anything—she had decided to open it long after she had left home at 19. Long after college, or marriage, or giving birth to her three children. Long after she had left her asshole of an ex-husband for good.

She had decided to put her skills in baking and business management to good use, purchasing the bakery from an old couple eager to retire. And of course, since she owned a business, she needed to hire employees.

She had not expected any of her children to work at the bakery. But Koutarou was invested. He became her right hand man—from picking up supplies to helping her bake when he wasn’t at university. Together, they hired a small but competent team.

They had put up a job posting online for an experienced barista who could also manage the front of the store. Four people showed up to be interviewed, but it was clear that the fourth and final candidate was way ahead in skill and professionalism.

Akaashi Keiji was a handsome young man, tall and slender with blue-green eyes and black hair that curled around his ears. He was almost too polite—it took Amane over a month before she could convince him to call her by her first name—and quite the perfectionist when it came to making coffee.

And her son was absolutely enamored with him.

The first time he’d seen Akaashi, Koutarou had run into a wall. Another time, he burned his hand on the espresso machine’s steam wand, too distracted by gazing at Akaashi, who was giving him a lesson on how to properly steam soy milk. (Amane feared for his safety sometimes.)

Koutarou would gush whenever the other boy left for the day, saying things like “Did you see him smile at me today?” or “Akaashi is super smart! He knows everything about coffee!”

But he _refused_ to just ask the other boy out.

“Akaashi would never want someone like me!” He claimed. “I mean, I’m pretty awesome, but Akaashi deserves a scholar or something. Another writer, or someone who can beat him in chess!”

And Koutarou was a _complete_ _idiot_ because he hadn’t noticed that the other boy liked him back.

Amane supposed she should cut her son a bit of slack. Akaashi was not easy to read; most of the time his expression was maddeningly neutral. Some might think that he didn’t feel emotions at all. But perhaps he had just been taught to school them, not betray what he was actually feeling. Which was a sad thought.

It was the little things—the loaded glances Akaashi would throw Koutarou when he passed by—that gave him away. Or the light blush that would bloom on his cheekbones when her son leaned too far into Akaashi’s personal bubble (something he had a habit of doing).

Last week, Koutarou had gone and picked up more flour from their bakery supplier, which he brought in through the back door. One large bag was perched on each shoulder.

“Hey, mom, where should I put these?” He had asked, grinning shyly when he saw Akaashi.

Amane watched in amusement as Akaashi, who had been mixing up a new batch of cold brew, dropped his spoon and his jaw at Koutarou’s impressive show of strength.

So yes, Amane was pretty sure that her lead barista was just as smitten with her son as he was with him.

It was four months after Akaashi had first walked through the doors of the bakery. It was a slow day, probably due to the hot, muggy weather. Akaashi was busying himself with reorganizing their coffee bar area for the second time in an hour. Koutarou was in the kitchen, kneading dough for their next batch of baguettes.

“Akaashi my dear, I do not think you need to rearrange those syrups again,” Amane said. “Why don’t you help us put together the sourdough?”

Akaashi blinked, and he began fiddling the cleaning rag in his fingers nervously. “I am not a baker, Boku—ah, Amane,” he said.

She smiled. “Well it’s good you’ll have a great teacher, then. Koutarou!” She popped her head into the back. “Would you like to show Akaashi how to properly knead sourdough?”

Her son perked up, a brilliant smile lighting up his features. He nodded vigorously.

Fifteen minutes later,Akaashi was covered in flour up to his elbows, with streaks of white also painted across his cheek and forehead. Amane grinned at her son, who was laughing at him for his messy attempt at basic kneading.

“Here, let me show you again!” Koutarou bumped Akaashi away with his hip. He floured his hands, then began, pressing into the dough, the motion utilizing his entire body.

Amane saw Akaashi’s gaze wander to Koutarou’s upper arms. “Y—yeah,” he muttered, catching Koutarou’s eyes. Her son grinned and huffed a laugh.

Suddenly Amane felt like she was eavesdropping on a very personal moment. She left them alone for the rest of the afternoon.

That evening she tried yet again to convince her son to ask him out. “My boy, how can you not see how he looks at you! You must believe me. He will probably be ecstatic if you…”

“But that ‘probably’ is the problem!” Koutarou wailed. “What if he doesn’t? It could ruin everything! You could lose your star barista!”

“Oh, you know that would never happen,” Amane teased. “If anything, I would lose my errand boy.”

“You would fire _me,_ your own son before…” He stopped, then seemed to ponder it for a moment. “Hmm, yeah, actually, keeping Akaashi makes a lot more sense, doesn’t it?”

They both laughed. Amane walked over to him, reaching up to cup his cheeks. “I love you so much, Kou. Which is why I’m telling you to follow your heart. You’ve always been so good at that.”

And Amane truly thought her words had gotten through to him—until Akaashi walked into the bakery the next day for his shift. Koutarou, who was sweeping up the lobby, promptly dropped his broom and hurried off.

She gave Koutarou loaded looks all day. Encouraging ones. Impatient ones. Disappointed-but-not-surprised ones. He frowned every time and broke eye contact, scampering to his next task.

And Akaashi noticed.

“Um, Amane?” The young man asked after Koutarou had left the bakery, saying he had errands to run. (Amane hadn’t assigned any.) “Is Boku—I mean, Ko-Koutarou doing okay? He seems… a bit off today.”

She nodded, carefully placing a fresh croissant into the pastry case. “Oh yes. He’s just a little distracted.”

Akaashi blinked. “With what? Is he struggling with his classes? I used to be a tutor. I could help him.”

Amane’s heart clenched. This boy really cared for her son, didn’t he? It was so obvious. Why couldn’t Koutarou just…

An idea hit her. The straightforward approach with Koutarou obviously wouldn’t work, but maybe a subtle approach with Akaashi would.

“Oh, no, it’s not school,” she hummed, gently closing the case and removing her plastic gloves. “It’s more… personal. He is trying to find the courage to ask someone out.”

Amane watched out of the corner of her eye as Akaashi’s mouth dipped into a frown. “Oh,” he muttered, brows creasing.

Amane smiled. Though she refused to expose her son’s secret outright, Akaashi’s reaction was confirmation enough that it was mutual. So she pushed a bit more.

She sighed dramatically. “He is worried because they are in a professional relationship.” She turned to Akaashi, giving him a pointed look. “He also does not believe that the other has feelings for him.”

Akaashi’s eyes widened. “Oh,” he said again, comprehension settling over his features. His ears reddened considerably.

“Yes. I do hope one of them does something soon. It is getting quite tiresome.” She winked before sliding into the back room.

As Amane had hoped, Akaashi made a move later the day.

He confidently walked up to Koutarou as soon as he returned (empty-handed) from his “errands” and asked if he could speak to him outside.

About seven minutes later, the two came back, smiles plastered on their beet-red faces. A group of customers had just walked in, so Akaashi hurried to the front to take orders. Meanwhile, Koutarou grabbed Amane’s shoulders.

“He asked me to dinner!” He beamed, shaking her a bit too hard. “Mom, can you believe it? He… he likes me!”

She reached up, placing her hands on her son’s forearms and smiling back. “Who wouldn’t, darling? Who wouldn’t?”

Amane Bokuto’s son could still be an idiot sometimes. He could still overreact and blame himself for things that went wrong. He could still think he wasn’t worthy.

But now his boyfriend, Akaashi Keiji, would be there to remind him of how amazing he really was. That he was enough. That he was _loved_.

She couldn’t have asked for more.

**Author's Note:**

> I almost wrote a scene where Amane discovered Akaashi was scared she didn’t approve of gay relationships, because of his own parent’s views. But I wanted to keep things lighthearted. And short. Maybe we’ll get into something heavy like that in another fic.
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mari_writes1/status/1291174959931326464)   
>  [Tumblr](https://mari-writes.tumblr.com/post/625659550546247680/a-gentle-push)


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